Households that pay for heat in Colorado, Alaska, Missouri and Virginia can apply for help with winter fuel bills as of Nov. 1, 2026, but the four states run on very different clocks. Virginia’s regular fuel window closes Nov. 13, while Colorado, Alaska and Missouri keep taking applications into the spring. Missouri’s winter crisis program pays up to $800 a household.
The start dates differ as much as the deadlines. Alaska began accepting heating applications Oct. 1, Virginia opened its fuel window on the second Tuesday of October, which fell on Oct. 13, and Missouri’s regular energy assistance has run since October. Colorado’s season starts Nov. 1, so it is the only one of the four where the first day of applications and the first day of November are the same…